These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Country focus -- Nepal. Making motherhood safer in Nepal.
    Journal: Safe Mother; 1995 Feb; (16):3, 9. PubMed ID: 12319472.
    Abstract:
    The government of Nepal has endorsed the Safe Motherhood policy. It has developed a five-year national plan of action. Maternal mortality in Nepal may be as high as 850-1000/100,000 births. 90% of Nepal's population live in rural areas where roads and telephones are rare. About 80% of the population have worm infestations and are therefore anemic. Malaria, insufficient diet, carrying wood and water for long distances, and heavy agricultural work are other burdens on women's health. Only 25% of women of childbearing age use modern contraception. Breast feeding is the chief means of spacing births. A doctor, nurse, or medically trained midwife attends only 7.4% of births; a traditional midwife attends about 20%; and a relative or neighbor attends 58.2%; leaving almost 10% of women delivering completely unattended. Despite Nepal's strong commitment to primary health care, many Nepalese live as far as a day's journey to the nearest health post. 80% of posts for physicians in rural areas are vacant. Many health post physicians are men, yet village women tend not to go to a man for obstetric problems. The government is setting up sub-health posts in all village development committee areas. A woman heads the new Safe Motherhood Programme, the goal of which is to improve maternal health and family planning services at all levels. The new program should ensure that health facilities receive adequate supplies and equipment, enough staff trained in maternal health service delivery, and staff motivated to become more accessible to women with the most obstetric needs. In-service training is designed to improve the skills of current health care workers and midwives in the diagnosis and management of maternal health problems as well as in referral of women to health facilities prepared to help them. 22,000 village women will be trained as traditional birth attendants. Program challenges include providing equipment, maintaining it, delivering supplies, training staff adequately, and persuading them to work in remote locations. The greatest test is changing society's attitudes to women.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]